Please tell me, I really want to know

What the hell do you find so interesting in UST (unresolved sexual tension) after … oh…let’s say 2 years? That’s the point it should begin to move into the domain of ‘let’s get it on’ a little bit at a time.

Sure, at first it’s so much fun. But really! What’s wrong with these people? (that is…what’s wrong with the people who write for these characters?)

And what’s so wrong with two people coming together who have chemistry… I mean eventually? How can really well written characters lose their attraction to an audience just because they’re gettin’ some noockie? Huh?

For me it’s the opposite. Makes me crazy when it’s dragged out for years and years. Almost getting together, then torn apart by some goofy scenario, then back again, and off again.

Sam Carter and Jack O’Neill – Stargate SG-1.

Okay, I get it, he was her commanding officer so to me that one should never have gotten into the ‘let’s titillate the fans, you know, make it look like they just might get together anyway’ arena until later in the series. Those crazy alien viruses and drugs that make them show their feelings… Oh, right – that helps.

Yes, yes, I know… as was pointed out by PlayItGrand… that on Stargate Atlantis, in the little chat with Keller we get that hint – Sam’s seeing someone in the Air Force. And the deleted scene on the DVD – can someone tell me WHY they deleted that!? It would have been one more step in the right direction. And Sam’s reaction to Jack’s death in Continuum- yes, that too is suspect… yet another dangling carrot

I have to ask, also, why after he left didn’t they get together? It’s not like we have the Kirk syndrome going on here, new planet, new woman therefore the hero can’t hook up – so can you tell me why Jack and Sam never, ever, even at the bitter end get together – that is on screen, not just in our hearts?

Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran – Stargate SG-1.

Come on guys! Those two would be a hoot as a couple… a couple of nuts. There is no way in any universe you can damage Daniel Jackson or Vala Mal Doran characterization with a bit of fluff. As much as I appreciated the little squeeness thrown my way in Undending (Season 10, Final Episode.) I wanted to rip off someone’s head (Robert Cooper?) for that.

I want my characters to be happy and in healthy relationships. Makes them more normal. Is the Air Force feeding them some anti aphrodsiac? Oh, please. Daniel’s sexy. Male. Smart. Funny. Why wouldn’t he – after he finally begins to get over losing is wife – want that again?

I completely understand – particularly when he wears that blue bandana – that females (and some males) would drool and want to…well, do him, but in a real (reel) life setting being ‘without’ kinda makes him seem a tad bit strange – and can damage his sex appeal. Don’t you think?

In the movie, Continuum, WTH? Vala decides to stay behind to help the host and nobody seemed too cut up about it. Everybody goes back to the SGC…blah, blah, blah! I wanted to rip off a few more heads! Although, I must comment here… Claudia Black was awesome and Qetesh was by far the absolute best thing in Continuum…except maybe Daniel’s sudden realization that he was about to die. “Oh shit.” He says, that made me say it right back to him.

These two- Daniel and Vala – are Nick and Nora Charles, (The Thin Man), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Dr. David Huxley and Susan Vance (Bringing Up Baby)… I can go on and on. Daniel and Vala are totally funny, loveable, spunky and play off each other to perfection.

Am I then only fan who would have still loved the characters/series even if they did get together? Okay, yes, I’m a shipper and I have the T-Shirt to prove it. But even if I wasn’t into certain characters, if they have the chemistry, and it won’t stop no matter how you play the characters…what’s the big deal?

I find it hard to believe that two beloved characters who hook up won’t be the same – that the sparks will dissipate and the fans will fall away. I mean wouldn’t that be the writer’s fault? The director? Huh?

Here’s the thing…Farscape played it well with John and Aeryn. Firefly had Wash and Zoe. It can be done – most certainly within an ensemble cast. I’m not talking about scene after scene, episode after episode. Or even full episodes…just don’t toss out the good stuff when it’s staring you in the face.

Really? What difference would it have made if …let’s say…Daniel and Vala were known to have hooked up? Continue to play them as they are with barely a mention. With just an occasional little scene. And Jack and Sam. For crying out loud! It’s not completely clear, all that J/S stuff in the series/movies. All we need is a glimpse of a wedding ring – we don’t have to see the wedding or the honeymoon. I need an ‘in your face, one time, absolutely, undeniable’…oh never mind!

SpaceGypsy1 (Becca) has been a Science Fiction/Fantasy lover for over 40 years. She is the voice of the fan as mother, fangirl, lover all things Farscape, FireFly, Star Trek, StarTrek: The Next Generation, Star Wars, and Stargate SG1. Spacegypsy1 is a writer of Fiction and fanfiction and is a huge fan of Claudia Black.

4 Comments

“However, the UST in Farscape totally had to be resolved. The chemistry between Ben and Claudia was way too strong not to eventually hook John and Aeryn up. You could almost feel the electricity between them at times! Of course, the writers did this fabulously by giving them a rocky road to travel.”

100% agreed! and even when they did do some resolving (A Human Reaction, The Flax) there were still many roads to travel.

I wouldn’t have minded a little more, um, tenderness on the part of the SG1 writers toward the female characters. You’re right, Daniel didn’t seem too terribly cut up about Vala at the end of Continuum. I’m not a pre season 9/10 SG1 expert, but the little I’ve seen made me think that Jack didn’t seem terribly invested in a relationship with Sam. Maybe the writers just don’t know how to play it out?

anyway, toward the resolving it through fan fiction end, I had to write a suitable (to me) resolution to Unending and one for Continuum so as not to leave Vala out in the cold. Actually, post Continuum, I actually had her hooking up with Cam! Hey, it just happened 🙂

Thanks for the comment Eva! Great insight. I’m on your boat. I only started watching SG-1 after Claudia and Ben came on…then PlayItGrand made me watch the rest. Pre season 9/10 is good too! But I agree that we could have used a little more tenderness there. We’d love to read your fan fiction! Send us a link?

Fully agree! There are some situations where UST should be resolved and others where it’s almost better if it isn’t, or at least, if it is that it’s only implied. I think the Sam/Jack UST in SG-1 was fabulous and it was better that it was only resolved through implication. The Daniel/Vala tension was the same way. It gives the fans more to write about for their fan fiction! I almost like that they left it to the fan’s imagination better in this case.
However, the UST in Farscape totally had to be resolved. The chemistry between Ben and Claudia was way too strong not to eventually hook John and Aeryn up. You could almost feel the electricity between them at times! Of course, the writers did this fabulously by giving them a rocky road to travel.
I also would have liked to have seen how the Mal/Inara pairing would have paid off in Firefly. I think we only got to touch the surface of what a complex friendship and relationship those two could have had.

I kind of agree. In Battlestar Galactica, for example, the UST was eventually, and gloriously, resolved in a lot of cases. Starbuck and Apollo? Mmmmm, yes please. The Admiral and Laura Roslin? Beautiful. The eventual resolution was worth the wait, and when there’s no resolution to be had, there’s good reason for it.

I would’ve loved to see how the Mal/Inara pairing would’ve paid off in Firefly, and how worth it was it to hear Kaylee shout “To hell with this! I’m gonna live!” in Serenity? Sexual tension demands payoff, even if implied.

The latest sexual tension I want payoff for? Bill/Eric (in the Queen’s words, “will you two just get it over and ?!@! already?!) and Bill/Sam in True Blood… As George Takei might say, oh myyyyyyy…

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *Email *Website

Redefining the Fangirl

The SpaceGypsies are a team of reporters, writers, convention goers, and geeks. Since 2009, we have been committed to providing quality coverage of a variety of fandoms through news, convention reports, interviews, reviews, and more.